MAKING A CAREER TRANSITION
Many experienced workers, whether currently working or in job search mode are examining options for making a serious career change. That might be a new industry or even a new profession. The fact that you are considering such a change means you don’t see a future for yourself doing what you have done in the past. Maybe the industry or job is moving overseas. Maybe you are not getting the job satisfaction you want from your current career. Whether you’re considering a new industry or an entirely new profession, you need to do some serious homework.
Start by assessing your skills to see what may be transferable to the new position. What are you really good at? What comes to mind as the highlights of your career? Make a list. Now look at what you really enjoy doing, whether on the job or in your personal life. What makes your socks roll up and down? Highlight the skills on your list that are involved in these activities. If you’re unsure of your skills and interests, there are many surveys and tests that you can take to help you identify them. You can find these tools by doing an internet search. A great resource for an overview of self-assessments is the Riley Guide (www.rileyguide.com). Still a little confused? This is where the services of a Career Coach are worth their weight in gold.
Once you’ve figured out what you’re good at and what you love to do, the next step is identifying the profession that’s right for you. You certainly don’t want to end up doing all this work only to find that in a year or two the profession you’ve chosen has moved offshore or contracted to the point where there’s no hiring going on. Back to the internet for more research! The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the Occupational Outlook Quarterly (http://www.bls.gov/ooq/) which projects employment for hundreds of positions through 2018. Another good resource is O*Net (online.onetcenter.org/help/bright/), a program sponsored by the Department of Labor which has highlighted hundreds of jobs that have a “bright outlook” and are expected to grow rapidly in the next few years. Now, choose a few that appeal to your talents and your desires and check out similar job postings on the internet. Do the job requirements sound like what you'd like to do?
NEXT STEPS: Investigating Potential Career Choices – stay tuned for the next installment.
